The latest on the Washington Nationals' triple-A affiliate in Syracuse from the Chiefs' front office.

Offseason Q & A–Adam Fox

It’s amazing that we’re less than three months away from baseball season. What’s more amazing is that these caricatures are quickly becoming my self-image. The more I look at them, the more I expect to see a 3’2″ individual with a headset on in the mirror. Also, I think Kevin and I are each wearing Crocs in this Q & A thingy to the left.

Last season, we got to know a gentleman named Adam who hit a pinch-hit grand slam in August. What was his last name again…?

Thanks, child not interested in deceiving Meg Ryan 33 seconds into the video. That name was Fox. Adam Fox. I caught up with Adam by phone from his offseason residence in Pennsylvania recently. I expected that he’d be reveling in a successful deer bagged….

Jason: The number 1 important question is how was hunting season?

Adam Fox: Hunting season was good early on. Then I started working this insurance job and I just didn’t get out in the woods as much as I’d like. I had the opportunity to kill a few nice deer but I elected to pass. All in all, I didn’t get out as much as I wanted to this season which is OK because I had other priorities. Sometimes you have to go to the side to take care of business.

J: How much do you normally get out?

AF: In the offseason with baseball, I’d probably get out four or five times a week. At least I’d get out at least in the evenings or the mornings just for a little bit. I started a job down the road from where I’m from and it was difficult to get back and forth. I was going Fridays and Saturdays as much as I could. I just didn’t have time. It’s crazy to say because you can always make time, but I actually really didn’t have time.

J: What did you bag?

AF: I didn’t kill anything, but like I said I passed on a couple nice ones early in the season because I was after two or three particular bucks that I’d been watching early season before the actual hunting season started. I was scouting them and had some video footage of them early season. Once you do it for so long you kinda get real picky and sometimes that’s your biggest enemy. I should have killed a buck that was right underneath me the third day of the season. I actually mistook it for a different buck. I just filmed it and from that point on I had a curse. Next year’s another year and I’ll probably have to redeeem myself one way or another.

J: How did Adam Fox get into insurance?

AF: Well, a good buddy of mine…his dad owns six agencies across western Pennsylvania and into central Pennsylvania and in 2009 he approached me and asked if I ever wanted to come in and study for a license, do some side stuff. I said “Yeah, I definitely do because baseball’s not going to last forever. I wouldn’t mind using my education towards something and I went in and studied for these tests and took these tests and passed. I started trying to sell a little bit. Last offseason, I didn’t work at all or do anything with it. I just went hunting. I took the time off because I knew I was going to be 30 this year and didn’t know what holds for baseball. I was going to enjoy that offseason and do the things I like to do. This year I went to him and said, “You know I’ve been thinking about it and I’d like to go to State College and start working on it to see if it’s something I like.” I started in mid-October and it’s been going pretty good. I stay really busy and it’s definitely a different challenge.

J: So where do we stand baseball-wise?

AF: Well, it’s tough right now. I’ve sat down and talked with my agent for hours on end about what options are out there and it doesn’t look too promising in terms of finding a job. I’m sure I could get a job to go into spring training seeing if there’s an opportunity, nothing set in stone. But, that’s not what I’m looking for. I’ve started to get into a career a little bit in insurance, so I said “you know what, I’m gonna set my standards a little higher. I want an opportunity kinda like what I had in 2010 with the Nationals. If something happened in the upper levels or in the big leagues, I was gonna have that opportunity if I was doing well then last year I just signed. If something happened I was gonna have a job. It was kinda just hanging on and getting through it and taking advantage of any opportunity that came along. Right now I’m not gonna do that. I’m gonna stick to my guns.

J: Any thought of going into coaching?

AF: Yeah, that’s been thrown at me since I started. They said, “One day you’re gonna be a good coach.” For me, I don’t know if I could do it right away. I’d love to. I know I’d do well at it. I know it’s in my blood. I know I have a lot to give back. There’s a period of separation where I’ve been such a competitor playing for so long. I don’t know if I’d enjoy it right away. I might have some resentment towards baseball if I just went into coaching knowing that I should still be playing. If I’m not gonna play this year, just stay away from it for a year and come July or August get my name out there.

J: The most important question I’ve got is what did Brayden [your son] get for Christmas.

AF: Everything. I asked him the other day. We were in Kmart. He was looking at toys. I said to him “Brayden, let me ask you something. If you had every single toy in the world which I think you pretty much already do, what would you do?” He said, “Well dad, I think I’d get sick of ‘em.” He got a scooter. He got one of those leapfrogs. Toys. Baseball stuff. Everything under the sun.

J: So when’s the next Brayden/Adam YouTube video coming out?

AF: What was the last one?

J: Vanilla Ice, I think.

AF: That was a pretty good one. He’s got a few new ones up recently. He’s got a few new dance moves.

J: He’s gonna be an actor, you know.

AF: I know, I feel like we’re wasting his talents by not getting him out there.

For cute.

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If you want us to get in contact with someone, tell us. jasonbenetti@syracusechiefs.com or kevinbrown@syracusechiefs.com.

Kevin reviews Pixar on Thursday in the Chiefs Ka-Chow….er….Culture Challenge.

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